Sunday, July 31, 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011 3:59 PM, EDTSorry it took me so long to update.

Ally did a fantastic job at the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday. She tolerated both medicines well, and we seem to be on top of the puke situation from the chemo. Ally is definitely more tired, and has less energy today. Her appetite is also almost non existent. Other than that she is doing well. We will draw blood on Thursday to check her counts, before we are off for 4 days of VACATION!!!! (I am pretty sure this is the first week Daddy and I have both had off since Ally has been diagnosed that we have NO medical appointments!!!)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011 9:11 PM, EDT

Things are going well for Ally. We continue to have fun filled days with friends. Last week Ally finished up Dance Camp. She loved it so much we are going to sign her up for weekly lessons in the fall. She is also going to do a month of soccer camp, in the fall. It feels so nice to be able to do these "normal" things.This past weekend Ally attended TWO family reunions. On Saturday we met up with the VERY generous (Mommy’s Daddy’s) clan (Thanks to everyone who participated in the auction and 50/50 raffle, we feel blessed to know we have so much support). Ally had tons of fun playing horsey with Grampa and Uncle Jason. She also played with some of her cousins, but was not so sure about them when they held Grampa and Uncle's hand. (A little bit jealous!) On Sunday Ally visited with the super the fun (Mommy’s Grammy’s) family. Ally had a blast with her cousins and Auntie Kelly and Uncle Mike. I actually got that day off (and Daddy had to work), and have enjoyed listening to the stories about the day.Tomorrow Ally gets her second dose of Rituximab and on Wednesday she gets low dose Chemo. Please keep her in your thoughts to keep the side effects to a minimum and for quick blood count recovery. In the next couple of weeks we will draw HAMA again. We are really looking for this to be negative, so we can get back to NYC. Ally is only allowed on the protocol until February, so we want to get as many antibody treatments in as possible.I'll update later in the week to let you know how her 2 hospital days went.http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=allys

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Monday, July 18, 2011

Monday, July 18, 2011 4:46 PM, EDTAlly began Dance Camp today. She required me to stay (for the whole 3 hours), but is ready to do it alone tomorrow. It is very cute to watch. She enjoyed herself quite a bit.This afternoon I brought Ally to the movies for the first time ever. She is currently telling Daddy all about Winnie the Pooh. It was fun to watch her watch the movie.On Saturday night we spent the night camping in the Playhouse. It was loads of fun!!!Next week Ally has Rituximab on Tuesday, and chemo on Wednesday. We are currently waiting to find out when her next HAMA draw is.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Thursday, July 14, 2011 8:30 AM, EDTAlly did a fantastic job at the hospital yesterday. Since her episode when she had a reaction to the Rituximab we have been very careful to make sure it doesn't happen again. She has to take an allergy pill at home for 3 days prior to the infusion and then they give her 3-4 meds at the hospital to help keep the allergic reaction away. Then, she finally gets the Rituximab, which takes about 2 hours to get in. We got there around 9:00 and left around 1:00. Ally fought the sleepiness the meds bring on, and did not nap. For the most part she was pleasant, but I think a nap would have done her wonders. For doing such a nice job we took her to the Olive Garden (she LOVES the cheese they put on everything) and got her a new book. We go back for the second part in 2 weeks.

Other than a quick trip to the hospital we have been having a squeaking fantastic summer. We meet up with some friends at the lake once or twice a week, we have painted pottery, we visit the library, we visit the local pool, we meet up with other friends and do fun things with them. And Max is home!!! (He went on a vacation with his Mommy and Daddy...and Ally missed him like crazy!) Next week Ally has dance camp!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 2:58 PM, EDT

So, here is the news: Next week we will go to the NH medical center for Rituximab, and then the week of July 25th we will go back for a second dose of Rituximab, the day after that dose she will get some low dose chemo. Ally has had few side effects from this treatment, but she was showing signs of allergic reaction last time (if you recall...massive headache and vomiting), so we are going to pre-med her like crazy.

Swim Lesson News: Last week Ally had issues letting go of my hand for the lesson (I am the ONLY parent in the pool). She is still reluctant to let go of my hand, but one of the lifeguards has been trying like crazy to get her to hold his hand. She held his hand for the first time today...there are only 2 lessons left. This is how I am looking at it: The 18 year old lifeguard does not care that I am in the pool with Ally, the Dad with the little girl who is also reluctant to go in the pool, but will also hold my hand and go in, is thankful for me being in the pool, and it is HOT HOT HOT on the side of the pool....so Ally can be as reluctant as she wants!

That's about it for now. Summer is GREAT! Ally stayed up (until 10:15) for the fireworks last night and loved them. I'll update again when I have more interesting things to write.

About Me

Water gathering
most days I wait
through blue and sun
till dusk
or even later
and the rose has faded
to lavender, to gray
some days, the sleet
has started
and the leaves underfoot
are slick with ice
somehow I'm never sorry
and never learn
one night I waited
till the stars were out
dropped the bucket into
sound, only felt the weight
of it filling
and the night full of stars
and the river full of stars
and the bucket full of stars
come morning, the coffee
is also full of stars